Restaurant owners want city to cut back on bringing in competition

Even though droves of people visited downtown Delray Beach to grab a bite to eat this holiday season, some downtown eatery owners said they weren't dining in their establishments.

And at a recent City Commission meeting, the restaurateurs placed the blame on the overwhelming convergence of food trucks and street vendors the city brings in to fill Atlantic Avenue during festivals and special events.

"We all compete with each other," said Michael Braid, who owns Orange Leaf, a self-serve frozen yogurt shop downtown. "We do the best job we can to survive, but competing with the city is not fair."

When Delray held its annual tree lighting ceremony last month, Braid told commissioners he prepped his staff for the mobs he expected to pour in to savor a cold treat topped with sprinkles.

To his disappointment, that wasn't the case.

"My block was dead," he said. "Street vendors had 10, 20 people deep in line. It's not fair to people like myself who pay rent."

Alan Costilo, who owns Big Al's Steak downtown, agreed.

"Downtown Delray is a special place," he said. "That's the reason people want to promote within our town. But it's not the responsibility of the promoter to feed these crowds nor is it to dress them. That is up to the merchants."

And the business owners didn't just show up to complain. They shared ideas to address their concerns.

To make sure these block parties promote permanent downtown venues and don't pose direct competition, he suggested the merchants join forces with the Downtown Development Authority, the group responsible for bringing special events downtown.

Mayor Cary Glickstein thought that was a great idea.

"Let them work together and try to craft a solution," he said. "The food trucks roll in, and they roll out with cash. It's just not right."

But Commissioner Al Jacquet had a problem turning down any business that wants to come to town.

"These people come in for specific events," he said. "The vendors pay the city a fee. I think that's fair. Allow competition to thrive."

He added that he was a fan of having food trucks during the city's New Year's First Night celebration because it gave people the option of enjoying an affordable meal.

"It is unfair to those who can't afford a $150 New Year's meal," he said.

Glickstein sympathized with the price factor.

"Cost is an issue for a lot of people," he said. "I think what their point is, they don't want a cheese steak truck down the block from a guy selling cheese steaks. There's a balance that we can try to find."